 This article is about a rider in Kamen Rider Kabuto.
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Template:Characterinfo
- For the A.R. World version, see Sou Otogiri.
- "I envy you..."
- ―Yaguruma's usual line when he sees something happy[src]
Sou Yaguruma (矢車 想, Yaguruma Sō), a 27-year old agent of ZECT, is Kamen Rider KickHopper (仮面ライダーキックホッパー, Kamen Raidā Kikkuhoppā, Masked Rider KickHopper) and was the first man to become Kamen Rider TheBee (仮面ライダーザビー, Kamen Raidā ZaBī, Masked Rider TheBee)
Character History
Yaguruma, while TheBee, had his own personal army of ZECT Troopers called Shadow, which had yellow stripes on their uniform, indicating that they are an elite unit of ZECT Troopers. He is a perfectionist, believing in a philosophy known as "Kanzen Chōwa" (完全調和 aka "Perfect Harmony"). When he's calm, he's a caring person who possesses a strict code of teamwork and demands perfection. He cares deeply for his team members, and in battle he is a brilliant tactician. However, he's also impulsive, brash and quick to anger. It is interesting to note that during battle he primarily uses kicks, foreshadowing his later role as Kamen Rider KickHopper.
After Tendou defeated him, Yaguruma became obsessed with revenge which caused to disregard the safety of his team which cost him TheBee Zecter and his position at Shadow. With the loss of his dignity and rank, Yaguruma went through self-loathing, seeing himself as a loser who can't keep his ideology and started a new one based on hell and darkness. However, he still shows compassion to Kageyama, allowing him to let him under his wing and putting him out of his misery after he became a Native Worm saying that they will always be partners.
When Tendou managed to infiltrate his flawless security team and upstage him by revealing how a Worm had done the same, he was so angry that he immediately challenged Kabuto to a fight. While he managed to defeat Tendou and destroy his belt, he was shocked to learn that he had been unsuccessful in his mission to eliminate Kabuto forever when Tendou transformed with a repaired belt.
His resulting hatred caused him to disregard the safety of his team in favor of getting revenge against Tendou, which led to the TheBee Zecter rejecting him in favor of Arata Kagami. After this he was reassigned to another part of the city, but returned when members of his former team were being eliminated from within by a traitor. Despite his renewed vow to protect his team, the TheBee Zecter had chosen Kageyama, making him the new leader of Shadow. Afterwards, he asked Kageyama to let him rejoin Shadow, but Kageyama turned him down. He returns in episode 33 as Kamen Rider KickHopper.
He manages to force two Executive level Worms to retreat during his first appearance due to believing that they were laughing at him. After destroying multiple Pupa Worm, Yaguruma quickly stripped Kageyama of the TheBee Zecter with a Rider Kick after telling him that he had "been to Hell" and attempted to invite Kageyama to come with him. Though Kageyama is reluctant at first, he accepts Yaguruma's offer when he saved his life, proving his partner with a Hopper Zecter of his own. With Kageyama as Punch Hopper, Yaguruma ambush Kabuto and Gatack within an abandoned factory, with the two Hoppers easily defeating Kabuto and Gatack in a matter of minutes after the two were weakened by the activation of the 'Red Shoes' system.
He and Kageyama attempt to destroy a confused and weakened Rena Mamiya during episode 40, in hopes of eliminating her early. However, he hesitates at the last moment, as if showing affection for Rena when he sees in her eyes that she has gone through the same darkness as he and Kageyama. Drake and Rena are then saved by Gon who used a fire extinguisher to distract the Hoppers. Their attempt almost works, but Rena is saved by Kamen Rider Drake. Their plan did have a side-effect, resulting in a recovery of Rena's Worm memories. When asked by Kageyama later, he says that he has indeed taken a liking to Rena, and therefore did not kill her. Even more so, Yaguruma protects Rena from Subst Worm when she is endangered. This led to an infuriated Kageyama, as it went against their beliefs of abandoning the light. Later, in his encounter with Rena and Daisuke, when Yaguruma says to Daisuke that he will protect Rena, he gets surprised when Rena, who temporarily reverted back to Uca Worm, hit him hard which sent him flying away. After that, he shows up with an injured face to a laughing Kageyama and their bond is restored.
During episode 41, Kageyama and Yaguruma fight with a depressed Tsurugi as Punch and Kick Hopper. After defeating Tsurugi, Yaguruma offers him a place as his little brother, which Tsurugi happily accepts. Yaguruma meets Tendou once more, and challenges him to a tofu cook-off, but since the seller is sold out, they would have to reschedule. The trio then encounters Reiji Nogi who makes short work of them using "Freeze" to move out of the way and cause all their Rider Finishers to collide. Continuing from the comical arc of the tofu cook-off, near the end of the episode, Tendou accidentally stood them up, and Yaguruma and Kageyama are left in the street wondering if Tendou will come and if the challenge will still commence. During episode 43, the TheBee Zecter is once again offered to him by Tadokoro, but he declares that he is enjoying his stay in the pitch black hell, as he kicks the case containing the Zecter.
Kageyama and Yaguruma watch as Reiji Nogi advances into Area Z during episode 44, and Kageyama wants to help them fight. Yaguruma laughs at him for trying to be a hero. But later after meeting with Tendou and Kagami as they prepare to face Cassis Worm, he decides to help them as Cassis Worm Gradius defeated Kageyama (who went and fought earlier as TheBee for the last time) and Gatack. Thinking that Cassis Worm laughed at Kageyama, he tells Cassisworm to laugh at him, as well. They perform a Triple Rider Kick and effectively neutralize his "Absorb" ability. Yaguruma later laughs at Kageyama for straying from the path of darkness and becoming TheBee, and so Kageyama returns to him, as Punch Hopper once again.
Yaguruma displays his desire for the darkness during episode 45, he and Kageyama binding themselves with chains and weights so that they would not be able to fight for justice. Ignoring Tendou's request for assistance, he along with Kageyama sit and meditate, attempting to regain their darkness.
Along with Kamen Rider PunchHopper, KickHopper defeats one of the two Cassis Worm Clipeus in episode 46. The two Hoppers utilize the Rider Jump function to send Cassis Worm flying into the air, destroying him with a Rider Kick and Punch as he falls to the earth. After seeing a picture of the Northern Lights, Yaguruma begins to ponder returning to the light again. Upon seeing Kageyama with a Worm identification necklace, Yaguruma scolds him for using such a device (apparently aware of its effect on human).
In episode 48, Yaguruma realizes that Kageyama has become a Native Worm and can no longer control his form. As a show of pity, he uses a Rider Kick to end Kageyama's suffering. Holding his fallen partner, Yaguruma looks up to the stars in the night sky and says that he and Kageyama will always be partners and that they have to regain the light once again. His ultimate fate was left up to the viewer as he was given an ambiguous resolution.
Kamen Rider Kabuto God Speed Love
In the movie adaptation Kamen Rider Kabuto God Speed Love set in an alternate timeline, however, he appeared as a high-ranking ZECT official in league with Kamen Rider Ketaros and is still the wielder of the TheBee Zecter. He commanded the counterattack against Neo-ZECT and was able to annihilate a majority of the Neotroopers with his ZECT Trooper team (Shadow did not appear for some unknown reasons), calling it a "perfect mission". Despite this, he was killed on combat with Kamen Rider Hercus. His last words lamented having received a "perfect death."
Kamen Rider Decade
KickHopper in the World of Kuuga.
Yaguruma later appears in Kamen Rider Decade episodes 2 and 3 with his partner PunchHopper appear in the World of Kuuga during a dimensional distortion caused by Narutaki to fight Decade. However, when they start focusing their rage on Kuuga, Narutaki causes another dimensional distortion that sends the two to another world where Kamen Riders Delta and Tiger appeared to be waiting.
Yaguruma later appears in the World of Decade to prevent Dai-Shocker from taking over. However, due to wanting to experience the hell that is Dai-Shocker, he sides with them. Diend summons PunchHopper, Gai, and Raia to fight him and Ouja. He fights PunchHopper and appears to have the upper hand. The results are not shown. [Kamen Rider Decade: All Riders vs. Dai-Shocker]
OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders
Kamen Rider KickHopper was part of a group of reinforcement riders led by Akira Date/Kamen Rider Birth to aid the primary riders in defeating the Rock Great Leader. All the Kamen Riders got on their bikes and performed the All Rider Break attack which destroyed the Great Leader. [OOO, Den-O, All Riders: Let's Go Kamen Riders]
Video Game appearances
Kamen Rider Kabuto video game
Sou as Kamen Rider TheBee and Kamen Rider KickHopper appears with the other Kamen Riders in the Kamen Rider Kabuto video game.
All Rider Generation 2
Sou as KickHopper appeared as the boss and unlockable after the game cleared.
Kamen Rider Climax Heroes W, OOO, Fourze, Chou/Super
Sou appears during the second until the last run of Kamen Rider Climax Heroes as KickHopper. He later also appears as TheBee in the last running game. As KickHopper, Rider Jump -> Rider Kick is his finisher to exist from the fourth game until the last (W and OOO didn't add the finisher for KickHopper). As TheBee, his finisher will be Rider Sting after his Shadow's subordinate rained his target with their shots.
Fighting Style
As TheBee he focused on boxing with both punching and kicking in terms of Kickboxing. But as KickHopper, he focuses mainly on his legs and kicks, in terms of Tae Kwon Do.
Forms
In his first appearance, he assumed the form of Kamen Rider TheBee. Later on, he became Kamen Rider KickHopper.
Masked Form
- "Henshin!"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
- Height: 192cm
- Weight: 127kg
Ability Perimeters
- Punching Power: 8t
- Kicking Power: 9t
- Maximum Jump Height: 21m
- Maximum Running Speed: 100m/8.6s
Masked Form (マスクドフォーム, Masukudo Fōmu) is TheBee's strong, heavily armored, but less offensive form resembling a beehive. This is the default form until the rider rotates TheBee Zecter around the wrist to initiate the Cast Off command.
Rider Form
- "Cast Off: Change Wasp!"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
- Rider Height: 192cm
- Rider Weight: 92kg
Ability Perimeters
- Punching Power: 3t
- Kicking Power: 6t
- Maximum Jump Height: 39m
- Maximum Running Speed: 100m/5.6s
- Finisher Power: 17t
Rider Form (ライダーフォーム, Raidā Fōmu) is TheBee's sleeker, faster, and more offensive form which merely resembles the wasp motif. In this form TheBee can initiate the Clock Up command to travel at near light speeds to match the speed of Worms. By pressing a button on TheBee Zecter, the Rider Sting (ライダースティング, Raidā Sutingu) tachyon-powered punch is activated, allowing the user to pierce through a Worm with the stinger on the TheBee Zecter.
Kamen Rider KickHopper
Rider Jump & Rider Kick
- "Henshin: Change KickHopper!"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
Statistics
- Rider Height: 192cm
- Rider Weight: 93kg
- Ability Perimeters
- Punching Power: 3t
- Kicking Power: 6.5t
- Maximum Jump Height: 39m
- Maximum Running Speed: 100m/5.6s
- Finisher Power: 20t
Unlike all of the other Riders in Kamen Rider Kabuto, the Kamen Rider Hopper Series Riders only have one form that they transform into. Kamen Rider KickHopper (仮面ライダーキックホッパー, Kamen Raidā Kikkuhoppā) has a green Acrida cinerea motif and by raising the legs on the Hopper Zecter (ホッパーゼクター, Hoppā Zekutā), KickHopper can jump high into the sky. By lowering the legs on the Hopper Zecter, the energy is concentrated into a tachyon-powered Rider Kick (ライダーキック, Raidā Kikku). The impact upon landing on the ground again powers up another kick.
Equipment
Devices
- Rider Brace: TheBee's transformation brace
- TheBee Zecter: TheBee's transformation device
- ZECT Buckle: TheBee's Clock Up belt, and KickHopper's transformation-Clock Up hybrid belt
- Hopper Zecter: KickHopper's transformation device
Weapons
- Zecter Needle: TheBee's prick-stinger used to perform Rider Sting attack
- Anchor Jack: The gold-joints installed onto the left leg of KickHopper
Vehicle
- Machine Zectron: TheBee's Rider Machine
- As KickHopper, he use this on Playstation 2 game
Wizard Ring
This Rider Ring which bears the likeness of Kamen Rider KickHopper is exclusive to Kamen Rider Wizard's Wizard Ring toyline. When used by a WizarDriver wearer, it would be able to summon Kamen Rider KickHopper.
(Green)
Behind the scenes
Portrayal
Sou Yaguruma is portrayed by Hidenori Tokuyama (徳山 秀典, Tokuyama Hidenori), he later portrayed Hiroto Sutou/Go-On Gold
in Engine Sentai Go-Onger. As Kamen Rider KickHopper, his suit actor was Eitoku (永徳).
Notes
- For unexplained reasons, the Hopper Zecter lacks the ability to assumed a Masked Form, transforming directly into Rider Form and instead having the ability to assume either Punch Hopper or Kick Hopper, depending on the side used. Throughout the show, neither Yaguruma or Kageyama demonstrated a Clock Up ability using the Hopper Zecters, although they have the ability to in the Kamen Rider Kabuto Playstation 2 video game, leaving it up to question as to whether this was a game-specific mechanic, or the Hopper Riders had it and simply did not use it.
- Like many Riders in the series, it was never explained how Yaguruma managed to obtain both Hopper Zecters.